Just wanted to start off saying how nice of deal it was for this piece of history! 1200$ down to 600$ for a 16-year old like me and my love for old cars, bless his heart. I love old cars, and have worked my butt off to earn money for a project as perfect as this. My Dads a mechanic and we both are oldies type, excited for my first project! Anyways, a little history I found with the VIN, it was made in Los Angeles' Chryslers plant. From the pictures looked originally a baby blue, hinted it may have been repainted pink. It has a 1955 Savoy motor, and trans out of a 1948 Plymouth. The car is pretty close to completion, missing one or two chrome pieces, Windows need replacement, paint, etc. Plans for the car are to restore it, get it running and clean, then go from there. My Dad wants to hammer her, and chop off a few inches, I also will be getting fender skirts. I'm obviously new to restoring/customizing cars, any help and or photos of ideas will be looked over. Prices for pieces, looks, and upgrades will also help. If you know of someone who has this exact car, please let me now, an extra set of 67 year old car pieces never hurt anyone! Thank you to all! Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I love it. Personally, I would not think about a chop at this time. Plenty cool as she sits! I would, however, weld the rear fenders, deck the lid, and lower the rear plate to the bumper (w/'49 Chevy front guard). I would also relocate the tail lights, either outward, or in the bumper guards. '(49 Merc lights might look good.) Wide whites, full wheel covers, and twice pipes for the six!
The 46-54 are fairly similar to the 49, especially the 46-48s. Use search, many Threads. The usual is a front shock relocation & front disc brake conversion. Seems to be a 2 dr sedan(?), don't see too many. I agree with 'Mo about not chopping it.
I've always wanted to do one of these with a shortened fastback roof and a regular sedan trunklid. I did a quick photoshop just to see what it'd look like. One with a straight post and one slanted, neither are chopped.
Another thing, those seats. I haven't been able to find a kit to reupholster. And in person it looks like a lot of work went into making them. Anyone know what type of fabric/cloth went into these old seats? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Those look beautiful! I'm a huge fan of the turtle back look and those make it stick out a lot more! You'd have to tell me how you'd do that. It's a chopping process but just the back? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I like @Squablow 's renderings but I would keep the long curve at the back. It wouldn't be an easy chop to do, but would look awesome when finished. Ditch the factory seats, find some out of a 60's thunderbird. The wrap around kind. And don't be in a huge hurry to get rid of the flatty six either. There are lots of parts available for them and they make simple reliable power.
I'll be sure to look at what seats your talking about. We where actually planning on getting the original motor and trans for the car, and modify those. Sell this 55 Savoy motor and use the money to help finish off the restoration project. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The 55 flathead 6 in the car is bigger-230 ci- than the original- 218 ci- and doesnt look any different externally.Unless you are actually restoring the car rather than modifying it you might think about keeping the 55 engine.They are both good,reliable engines but the extra displacement makes a big difference! Besides,you already have that one In any case best of luck with your project!
Thanks so much Steinauge! So we should keep the 55 if we are modifying? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Chad49: In July of 1964, I was your age and bought the identical car after mowing lawns to earn the fifty dollars it took to make it mine. It was a metallic maroon and I painted the wheels light copper and added baby moon caps. My Dad wasn't a gearhead, but he was always there to help in any way he could. Think it's awesome that you two are going to bring her back to life. You'll make a pile of good memories in the process and when you're my age, those memories will be pure gold! Enjoy every minute! Regards, Dave.
Hey Dave I want to thank you for such a beautiful comment, it's people like you that I enjoy surrounding myself with! We will make a lot of good memories with this car, I mean, I just got to hear her old horn recently for the first time with a battery hookup. Little moments filled every time I go work on the car. But listen here Dave, including everyone following up on this project with us. It's not just me and my Dad restoring it, it's all of us throwing out ideas and thoughts making this project our project! Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Where to start? The original seats have a steel framework with a spring base and back. The springs are covered with a burlap fabric and the have a cotton based batting added. The cover was originally a Mohair fabric. They were soft and cushy but did not add a lot of support, they were kind of like riding in a old soft couch. I redid a seat out of a 39 Plymouth (same basic seat) and probably wouldn't do another one. They lack any sort of firmness the modern seats have, I replaced it with a more modern seat. The original brakes were great for their time. They are a pita to adjust, and parts are a bit costly. You can upgrade with a disc brake conversion kit for less money and have 2x the braking power. There are several kits available, some of which bolt on and use your existing spindles and hubs. Years ago I used a kit from www.rustyhope.com, that required a bit more work. There are probably better kits around these days. I would upgrade the original rear axle to something more modern, the original rear axle gear ratio isn't very highway friendly, and removing the original rear brake drums can be an issue. Mopar axles from a 90s & newer Jeep or a 5 bolt from an 87-90 Dakota would work. And many are using a Ford 8.8 from Explorers. You can use the brakes from whatever rear end you use, and upgrade the master cylinder to a dual reservoir unit. The front suspension is still good stuff if its not junk. Replacement parts are still available from NAPA or other parts houses. The only thing strange is the front shock setup. originally the shock mounts between the upper and the lower control arms. Moving the upper mount from the control are to the frame is a dramatic improvement to the front end. If your car does not have a sway bar, adding one of those helps a lot s well. To move the shock mount, you need to buy or make a bracket that bolts to the frame. Kits are available online from several places. A front sway bar off a modern Jeep will work well on your Plymouth. Web sites that may be of interest to you (there are many more): www.rustyhope.com www.butchscoolstuff.com www.fatmanfabrications.com www.robertsmotorparts.com www.automotiveinteriors.com Gene
The slanted B pillar looks great! I'm not really on board with reshaping the top, other than slanting the B pillar. That's a nice touch. Re-doing the whole top seems like more work than it's worth. That streamlined top looks good as is. Chad -- I too advise that you keep the later 6 in the car. Those are good reliable engines, and it's paid for.
The 65-68 (?) C body rear axel is a bolt in. There are a bunch of others such as the 71-3 Mustang, Dusters, ect that work with a spring perch relocation.
My father has a '49 Plymouth convertible. It's no hot rod, barely customized (lowered and skirts), but it drives really nice with the stock running gear ('50 Dodge motor). Original seats have been reupholstered and are comfortable, steering is responsive and the ride on the stock suspension is nicer than my daily driver. It does have radials, and OD which is a big help on the highway. Not going to win any races, but it's a great car to drive pretty much anywhere. Take your time, learn a lot and have fun with it. That car would look good chopped, but man it wouldn't be an easy one to get right. Start by getting it on the road with the '55 motor, make it reliable and driveable.
I've always loved the looks of these cars, especially the roof line, so that rules out a chop in my book (sorry "Squablow", although I still really like your 2 door Chrysler conversion). You're lucky it still has the bumpers; those are usually the first thing to disappear on these cars.
That is a cool project, and this is the best place for advice and nice builds to see. The old seats are as many added very comfy for sitting, making out, but not for hard cornering and long trips. But go and talk to a modern car seat upholster. Maybe there can be something done with modern foam and cheap but durable covers, like a DIY job with pro parts. And if he really takes the time to give you advice, buy your parts from him, and slip him a extra 20 on top, for the time he spend on you. It might be cheaper the thunderbird seats and a reupholstery on those too. Just my 2 cents. I hope it will be a nice m, and I will be lurking, until I can't keep my mouth shut again.
I'm afraid that slanting the B-plillar on the Plymouth would make for a disproportionately large rear side window. It does look nice on this sedananette Buick, however!
Hey guys thanks for the advice, keep it up! I love going over with my Dad about each comment so far and see what we think! Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The Dodge fastbacks came with a canted B-pillar on what is otherwise basically the same body shell. 664 × 310 - allpar.com
If you mean the Wayfarer, there is a good deal of difference, as the C-pillar has been brought forward. (Similar to the Photoshops.) Imagine the Dodge with a straight post, and compare rear side window size. A vertical line through the rear wheel center will substantiate tis.
Yes,by all means keep the 230 that is in the car.There are dual carb manifolds available from Offenhauser and cast iron headers from Langdons "stovebolt" for them.Also that stock exhaust manifold is one of the easiest around to split and make dual exhaust on the cheap.
Can someone explain how you would make a slanted B pillar. It looks great and I wouldn't mind it but, ow would you weld/cut all that out? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Cutting it out is the easy part! Putting it all back together is a whole different story. The door post involves both the car body modification, and it also requires a door modification. It involves a new quarter window glass (and creating a glass pattern), glass tracks (for the window to roll up and down with), and window crank modifications (since the glass can no longer roll straight up and down), in addition to removing the old post and determining the desired angle, welding the post in will also require adding extra material to the post (because it will need to be longer), and redoing the sheet metal on the top and the bottom of where the post used to attach to the car (because both angles are now different). Then you get to do the same stuff to the door (only backwards from the body), but now the door will have to open & close against the new door post and be close enough for the door to seal against the post. You also will need to make the new door glass (and pattern), modify the glass tracks and modified the window crank function. Then you get to repeat the whole process on the other side of the car. This is not the full list, just a brief description of what needs to happen. There is also body and paint work to follow. Probably not an easy task for a first timer. Gene
Alright so since it's my first project I'll leave that for a later decision. Thanks for letting us now at least a jist of what needs to be done! It would look very cool slanted and I hope eventually we can figure it out. Any other cool/common modifications people do to the body? This is a first I've heard about pillars. I know about slamming, chopping, shaving, pillars now, permanent convertible, 4 door to 2 door conversions. But like, what else is there? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
What else is there? I don't see channeling, sectioning, pinching, decking, nosing, altered wheel base, or the all important Gasser look. There's more..... Gene
I'd like to see pictures of each one, if you don't mind me asking! Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Sorry, I'm not the guy that can post a bunch of pictures for you, I'm lucky if I can get a picture of my junk posted. I might suggest a Google search of "custom car terms and pictures" and see what shows up. Gene
The Jalopy Journal
